Istan



(No Model.)

B. F. HEFPERNAN.

WATOH CASE HINGE.

No. 319,814. Patented June 9, 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDW'ARD F. HEFFERNAN, OF LOOKPORT, NEl/V YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT JOHNQUIGLEY, OF TORONTO, CANADA.

WATCH-CASE HINGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,814:, dated June 9,1885.

Application filed May 17, 1884. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. HEFFER- NAN, of Lockport, in the county ofNiagara, in the State of New York, now residing at the city of Toronto,in the county of York, Province of Ontario, Canada, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Hinges for Watch-Cases; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which" Figure 1 is a perspective view of the center and bezel of awatch-case containing my improvements separated from each other. Fig. 2is a vertical section of the same united upon a line passing through thehinge, the bezel being opened outward. Fig. 3 is a like View of saidparts, with said bezel closed; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section ofsaid case-center upon a line passing through the axis of said hinge.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

This invention relates to the hingejoint for a watchcase covered byLetters Patent No. 288,181, issued November 6, 1883, and reissued August26, 1884:, No. 10,517, and has for its object the lessening of theexpense of construction and an increase in the strength and durabilityof the parts of the joint; to which end my said invention consists,principally, in the means employed for forming the pivotpin hearingwithin the case-center, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafterspecified. I

It consists, further, in the means employed for limiting the motion ofthe bezel when opened, and for preventing injury to and strain of thehinge, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown.

In the application of my improvement I take an ordinary watch-casecenter, A, and in and through the bearing a for the back or bezel cut arectangular opening, a, as shown.

At a point below the opening a and parallel with its outer edge, a roundopening, a is drilled through the center A in a line parallel with theplanes of the sides of said center, and into said opening is inserted ametal tube, B, that has such diameter of interior as to enable it toreceive and contain a pin having the size usually employed forhingejoints. The body of said tube is contained within the recessedinterior of said case-center, with its outer side bearing against thecontiguous portion of said part, and in such position is secured bymeans of solder, after which portions of said tube are removed upon aline with each end of said opening a, so as to leave three sections ofthe same, one at the center of said opening, and one at each end of thesame, which extend outward to the periphery of the case-center.

A bezel, O, is fitted to the center A in the usual manner, and at asuitable point is provided with two lugs, c, which have the form shownin Fig. 2, and are adapted to be inserted within the opening a, and tofit with reasonable closeness within the same and between the sectionsof the tube 13.

Each lug c is provided with an opening, 0, which corresponds in size tothe opening b of the tube B, and when the bezel O is closed down uponthe case-center said openings coincide and enable a hinge-pin, D, to bepassed through them, so as to connect said center and bezel and enablethe latter to be swung open and closed in the usual manner.

In consequence of the length and shape of the hinge-lugs c the bezel 0,when opened, is lifted from off the center A and carried outward untilits edge in rear of said lugs lapsover and bears against the outer faceor periphery of said center, as in the hinge-joint covered by the patentbefore referred to, and operates to limit the outward movement of saidbezel. As, however, the impingement of said bezel upon said center tendsto injure or break the connection between the former and saidhinge-lugs, I provide an additional stop by extending each lug c inwardbeyond its pivotal bearing, as shown, and forming at its inner end atail, 0', which, when said bezel is opened outward, impinges upon saidcenter A immediately in front of the opening a, and operates to preventfurther motion of said lug in such direction. By this arrangement eachlug is limited in its motion independent of the bezel,while theimpingement of the latter upon the periphery of the case-center causesits motion to be arrested without interference with or strain upon saidlugs.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is r 1. As animprovement in hinge-joints for watch-cases, a tube inserted Within orthrough the case-center to furnish a bearing for the hinge-pin,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. As an improvement in hinge-joints for watch-oases, a case-centerhaving inserted within one side a tube which is adapted to re ceive ahinge-pin, and is cut away at or near its longitudinal center to admitof the insertion of hinge lug or lugs, substantially as and for thepurpose shown.

3. As an improvement in hingejoints for watch-eases, a hinge-lug whichis provided with an inwardly-extending tail that is adapted to impingeupon the ease-center when the bezel is opened and limit farther motionin such direction, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The ease'eenter A, provided with the rectangular opening a, roundopening (6 and sectional tube B, the bezel 0 having attached theretolugs c, which have the form shown, and are each provided with a tail, 0,in combination with each other and with the pin D, substantially as andfor the purpose shown and described.

Toronto, May 9,1884.

E. F. HEFFERNAN.

l'n presence of CHAS. O. BALDWIN, JOHN G. Bloom".

